Ethan From
...s for Students Bernard 140 ) This understanding of Frome is well emphasized by the quote: “He seemed part of the mute melancholy landscape...he lived in a depth of moral isolation too remote for casual access.”(Wharton 11) The dark and frozen landscape of Starkfield is parallel to Fromes character. Frome is a very dark and stiff man. This relationship of character and setting allows an important understanding of the story to develop productively. The concept of light and dark is used efficiently in this novel, not comparing like the previous paragraph, but to contrast the relationship between Mattie and Ethan and the secret love they have for each other. Mattie is represented by light images such as the dances she attends and her very bright personality. Ethan, on the other hand is represented by darkness by always being shown in the shadowy places and by presenting a very dull personality. The darkness gives Ethan a very negative image, which is well deserved.( Novels for Students Bernard 141 ) When Ethan thought of Mattie he would get thoughts of joy and happiness, attributes related to light rather than dark. As distinct theses colors may be, the type of relationship these two characters express when together can be represented best by a gray hue. This type of symbolism is used by Wharton to help the reader understand what type of relationship Ethan and Mattie have, and why they act the way they do. Wharton uses more objective symbolism to represent Zeena and Ethan’s marriage. Zeena is represented by the cat and the Frome’s marriage is represented by the pickle dish. When Mattie decides to get the pickle dish down from the china cabinet, there seems to be a sense of uneasiness. The breaking of the dish by the cat symbolize the ...